PROJECT | Aspley SoundMap

For World Listening Day 2011, we created a SoundWalk through our locality, Aspley, in Brisbane’s northern suburbs. Starting at the centre on Gympie Road, to and through the Hypermarket, then along suburban streets to the Chermside Hills Reserve, and then back along the creekside pathway, we walked and listened to the shifting qualities of sound. In particular, as an experiment in listening in place, we considered how sound shapes our experience of place.

Since completing the 8km walk, we’ve created a SoundMap using Google Maps. Audio was recorded using a mobile phone. Video has been created with the audio and photographs and is embedded in each map marker/pop-up balloon. Audio has also been uploaded and linked to Chirbit. We hope you enjoy our SoundMap.

We believe this kind of project is a useful model for workshop development. It presents a creative way of engaging communities in reflecting on their sense of place, not only for community and cultural development but also for planning, placemaking and design processes. The tools used for creating the SoundMap are freely and readily available. Like a Jane’s Walk, the SoundWalk presents an opportunity for undertaking a neighbourhood tour while also documenting specific aspects of the locality. Through that process, we became more aware of stresses in our locality, such as traffic and aircraft noise. We noted our concern that there weren’t many people walking and cycling and that we barely saw or heard any children during our walk. It was also the first time we walked through the Chermside Hills Reserve, which offered a very different acoustic experience to that of the suburban streets and highway.

As we continue to debrief, we will be writing more about this so please keep an eye on the evolving SoundMap.

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Recent & Current involvements

Cultural & Public Art Strategies for urban, suburban & regional communities
Stakeholder engagement and partnership brokering for Indigenous led enterprise and economic development research project
Facilitation & workshops
Commissioned writing, research, editing and guest lecturing
Voluntary non profit board involvements with Art from the Margins and Dementia Friendly Communities Advisory Committee
Membership of the International Association of Public Participation and Institute of Place Management

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Harbinger Consultants respectfully acknowledge the past and present traditional owners of Australia and pay our respects to the leaders of the traditional custodians of this land. We are grateful to the Elders - Indigenous and non-indigenous - who so generously share their knowledges and wisdom with us.